Express & Star

Merseyside mission for the England Elites

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West Midlands fighters will be on a Merseyside mission to secure their places at finals weekend in the England Elite Championships.

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The national pre-quarter finals take place at the Croxteth Leisure Centre tomorrow in Liverpool as area champions look to go one better,

writes Craig Birch.

The over-18s national competition - the old senior ABAs - will then resume next week with finals weekend at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

The area deciders took place at the Irish Centre in Digbeth, Birmingham, last weekend with bouts staged over three, three minute bouts.

Faluk Hussain, from Windmill in Smethwick, claimed area honours at 48kg in the first Elite contest on show at Digbeth.

He was pushed by Aston's Ijaz Sheik, but got his hand raised on a split decision. He sits out this weekend, after being seeded third.

Connor Jones, of Lions in Dudley, bowed out at 60kg. He was seen off on another split against the capable Danny Quartermaine, of Cleary's in Leamington Spa.

Mitchell Stevens, from the Brooklands home gym in Dudley run by former professional Darren McDermott, was also eliminated at 69kg.

Stevens had seen off Lewis Rafferty, from Triumph in Coventry, and Walsall Wood's Shaun Cooper just to reach the area final. Aston's Jack Williams downed him unanimously.

Darlaston's Benjamin Whittaker, a two-time national champion who boxed for England at Commonwealth and European Youth, is in his debut Elite year at 75kg.

The Wodensborough Boxing Club hopeful, who is on the Great Britain podium squad, scored a second straight Elite unanimous success.

After outclassing Jared Doherty, from Eastside in Birmingham, he vanquished another Brummie in the Jewellery Quarter's Jordan Thompson. He's through to finals weekend as the third seed.

Wodensborough club-mate Josh Stokes, a national champion in the 2011 old junior ABAs, boxes his fourth 81kg Elite clash tomorrow.

Stokes has been thrown in at the deep end but has seen off Birmingham's Richard Robinson, Triumph's Charlie Delve and Luke Caci, from Orme in Newcastle-under-Lyme, at the weight.

He announced his arrival back into competition boxing with a second round TKO of Robinson and fought to prevail on a split against Caci last time out. Birtley's Dean Laing will come next.

Wodensborough have a third entrant in the female ranks, with Lauren Johnson yet to box in the competition and sitting out it again this weekend as the second seed at 75kg.

Warley's Solomon Dacres has a bye to finals weekend in the super heavyweight division (91kg plus), his place secured with a unanimous victory over Aston's Joel Ducille at Digbeth.

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